Key for locks



ocg. 11, 193s. y c. w. CHENEY 2,133,187

KEY FOR LOCKS v Filed Sept. 8, 1957 Patented Oct. 11, 1938 UNITED STATES KEY Foa- Looks v Charles William Cheney, Soho, Birmingham, y.

England Application september s, 1937, serial No. 162,847

aIn Great Britain August 13, 1936 The invention relates to a lock key of thefflat Shank type having a. ngelfplece at one end and formed from a sheet metal blank by folding the blank longitudinally upon itself from its middle into integrally joined halves and securing the halves together, one or both of the longitudinal edges of the shank being provide-d with ward engaging notches or such like.

The invention provides an improved key construction of this type, and has for its objects, greater accuracy in formation, and increased strength and durability at that part of the key where these requirements are of importance, i. e. at the shank and particularly at its end, while further, a much neater appearance results.

I accomplish these objects by folding the key from a blank having two halves each comprising a nger piece portion and a shank portion, the two shank portions of the blank being disposed on a common longitudinal axis and joined integrally at their free ends. In order tosecure the two halves together, the linger piece portions of the two halves folded upon one another are rigidly connected, preferably by riveting.

One form of the invention provides a pin projection on the forward end of the shank while another form of the invention provides a longitudinal tubular or pipe portion from the forward end, being minus the pin projection. The-first form is carried out by including as part of the shaped blank a central and longitudinal web of a less width than the shank portions.

The second form is carried out by providing a longitudinal central luting on each shank portion, and by slitting said flutings at the point where the blank is folded, so that on folding the ilutings form the pipe or tubular portion.

The iluting may also be provided on each side the web in the rst form of the invention, as it materially strengthens the shank.H

The invention in its two forms is rep-resented by the accompanying drawing, Figs. 1-4 illustrating the first form, and Figs. 5-10 the second form.

Fig. 1 is a side View of a nished key.

Fig. 2 is a section of Fig. 1 on the dotted lines A. B.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the shaped blank be' fore it is folded and notched.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of Fig. 3 upon the dotted lines C. D.

Fig. 5 is a side view of a finished key.

Fig. 6 is a section of Fig. 5 on the dotted lines E. F.

Fig. 7 is an end view of Figs. 5 and 6.

gFig, 8 is an ,innerside View of the shaped blank before it is folded and notched. v

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section of Fig. 8 on the dotted lines G. H.

Fig. 10 is a, longitudinal section of Fig. 8 on 5 the dotted lines I. J.

Where permissible the same letters of reference are used for corresponding parts of the drawing.

With reference to Figs. 1-4, a shaped but unl0 notched blank comprises similar halves to be closely folded upon each other about the approximate centre line indicated at a, each half comprising a shank portion a2, and a finger piece portion a3 integrally joined by the web 15 a4, which is much less in width than the width of the shank portion. The web a4 is so shaped as to form the hollow projecting pin a5 when the halves of the blank are closely folded and secured to each other. Longitudinally in line with 20 the web a4 and of about the same breadth, each shank portion a2 is formed with a fluting a6 which materially strengthens the shank, these flutings coming close together when the blank is closely folded to form a substantial cylin- 25 drical portion as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Each finger piece portion a3 is pierced at a1, and the edge of one of these piercings is drawn out to provide a small sleeve a8, as clearly shown in Figs, 3 and 4, to enter the other piercing and 30 be riveted over, as clearly represented in Fig. 2, for the purpose of rigidly securing the closely folded halves to each other, it being understood that the folding and closing of the halves is performed by press tools, as also is the securing. 35

The second form of the invention Figs. 5-10 is without the pin projection a4, and is of a construction known as a tubular or pipe key, the fluted portions a6, a6 in the shaped blank being only separated by a slitting c which does not extend through the whole of the middle of the shank, as clearly represented by Figs. 8, 9 and l0. When this blank is folded the slitting provides an entrance to the tube or pipe d formed by the combined utings a6, a6. Otherwise this 45 second form of the invention is substantially the same as the rst form, both forms having the same distinctive feature, viz. that the shank portions of the two halves are disposed in the blank on a common longitudinal axis and are joined 50 integrally at their ends.

'Ihe word-engaging notches may be provided at any convenient period in the manufacture of the key.

It will be understood that accuracy in forma- 55 tion of the shank and maintenance of that accuracy is essential, particuarly at its end, and it will be appreciated that the invention completely satisfies these requirements as the halves of the key are integrally joined up at said end, thereby rendering separation of the shank practically impossible.

Havingr now described my' invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A lock key of the character described, formed from a single sheet metal blank having similar halves by folding the blank longitudinally upon itself and securing the halves together, each of said halves comprising a finger piece portion and a shank portion, the shank portions of the two halves being disposed in the blank on a common longitudinal axis and being joined integrally at their ends.

2. A lock key, as claimed in claim 1, in which said blank comprises further a longitudinally extendingweb of a width less than -that of the shank portions and integral with both of the latter, said web, after folding of the halves upon one another, forming a pin at the end of the key shank.

3. A lock key,'as claimed in claim 1, in which said blank comprises further a longitudinally extending web of a width less than that of the shank portions and integral With both of the latter, said shank portions and web being longitudinally fluted, whereby the fluted'tweb, after folding of the rhalves upon one another, forms a tubular closed pin at the end of the key shank.

4. A lock key, as claimed in claim 1, in which the integral shank portions of both halves are longitudinally uted intermediate their outer edges and a transverse slit is provided between the two halves of the blank across the fluting intermediate two strips of material integrally joining the two shank portions, whereby the key shank, after folding of the halves upon one another, comprises a tubular portion open at the free end of the shank.

CHARLES WILLIAM CHENEY. 

